When teaching trainees vaginal repair surgery, the legendary Douglas Ellis demonstrated a dissection technique using the scalpel’s tip, not its blade. If they got it right, he said, it would make a scratching noise like that of Mr McGregor’s hoe in The Tale of Peter Rabbit . They would never understand how to do the operation properly, he insisted, without reading and “hearing” the Beatrix Potter classic. His edition included a noise inducing push button. He gave copies to students who lacked one. Mr McGregor’s hoe was a favourite party piece when he invited his “A team” to dinner. This anecdote points to eccentricity, but there was nothing quirky about Ellis in the operating theatre. He was a meticulous surgeon. He was a dapper bon viveur and a snappy dresser with a bright yellow Porsche. His passions included hunting, shooting, and bird watching. Above all else, he was an uncompromising old school surgeon, and one of only three NHS consultants at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, in the 1970s—there are now 54. He was also a pioneer in fertility treatment. In 1973 he and J G Williamson reported induction of ovulation with tamoxifen. This put him centre stage in an …

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道格拉斯·埃利斯 (Douglas Ellis)：生育治疗的先驱

在教授学员阴道修复手术时，传奇人物道格拉斯·埃利斯 (Douglas Ellis) 演示了一种使用手术刀尖端而非刀刃的解剖技术。他说，如果他们做对了，它会发出沙沙声，就像《彼得兔的故事》中麦格雷戈先生的锄头一样。他们永远不会理解如何正确地进行手术，他坚持认为，如果不阅读和“听”比阿特丽克斯·波特的经典著作。他的版本包括一个噪音感应按钮。他给没有的学生一份。当麦格雷戈先生邀请他的“A 队”共进晚餐时，他的锄头是最受欢迎的派对作品。这个轶事指向古怪，但埃利斯在手术室里并没有什么古怪之处。他是一位一丝不苟的外科医生。他衣冠楚楚，衣着时髦，开着一辆亮黄色的保时捷。他的爱好包括打猎、射击和观鸟。最重要的是，他是一位毫不妥协的老派外科医生，也是 1970 年代牛津大学约翰拉德克利夫医院仅有的三名 NHS 顾问之一——现在有 54 名。他还是生育治疗的先驱。1973 年，他和 JG Williamson 报道了用他莫昔芬诱导排卵。这使他成为……的中心舞台。